New Brew for Dover400 Anniversary Debuts at Chapel + Main

With the official start to Dover's 400th anniversary 15 days away, Chapel + Main gets the celebration stated early Thursday by hosting a launch party for its new beer to honor the celebration.

The brewpub will officially offer the first samples of its Northham Ale at a special event open to everyone from 5-7pm.The beer takes its name from a temporary name of the city used in 1639. By 1641, the name was gone.

"The event Thursday for the most part is a celebration about the community and Dover being entering its quad centennial as we roll into 2023," Chapel + Main owner Ben Lord told Seacoast Current.

How does it taste?

"It's just a nice, simple, clean American Pale Ale that we brewed to represent classic American sort of ales," Lord said. "It's got some hops to it. It's a nice light golden brown color."

"An Exciting Time"

Lord said that as someone who owns a business in the same city he grew up in, he wanted to be part of the 400th anniversary celebration.

"It's a pretty exciting time as we start to look at where we are historically with New England and the fact that we'll hit our 400th. It's pretty impressive. It's a moment of some pride and a moment of reflection. It seemed like a great opportunity for us to work with the town," Lord said.

Dover400 vice president Sam Allen said it was a collaboration that came from the friendship between Lord and Dover400 president Kevin McEneaney. There are big plans for Northham Ale by the Dover400 committee and Chapel + Main.

"I think that the plan is, at some point, perhaps, is to try to roll the ale out to some of the other establishments in Dover so that it will be a featured beer on their menus. We're still working on some of that process."

Wreaths of Honor Also at the Party

Matt Mayberry will be at the party collecting donations and seeking volunteers for Wreaths of Honor, a group that will be placing 2,000 wreaths on the graves of veterans on Saturday.

"It's just a way to remember their service, to say their name, to honor their families," Mayberry said. "We cover everything from the Revolutionary War all the way to the War on Terror."

Mayberry has raised $20,000 of the $25,000 needed to cover the costs of placing the wreathes at Pine Hill, St. Mary's, and St. Charles cemeteries in Dover, rain or shine.

Every $20 donation will also get donors into a raffle for tickets to the Celtics-Sixers game on February 8 at TD Garden.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH